Meet the 2023-2024 Graduate Nurse Organization President

UB School of Nursing has three nursing student organizations: the Undergraduate Nursing Student Organization (NSO), the Multicultural Nursing Student Association (MNSA) and Graduate Nurse Organization (GNO).

GNO president, Pamela Nichols, shares her professional goals, including how she plans to lead the organization this academic year.

I originally graduated with a degree in Film and Media Communications from UNC and worked in NYC for several years in the advertising industry. I moved to Buffalo to open an advertising agency, but this idea never came to fruition. I knew that this career pathway was not meant for me long-term and decided to do some soul-searching to find my passion. My older sister is a CRNA and encouraged me to look into accelerated nursing programs, which is how I ended up at UB in 2015. Once I started clinical rotations, I knew that I had found a career that would serve both the natural healer and communicator aspects of my character. After graduation, I took a job in the Operating Room as an RN. I saw the work that the CRNAs were doing and knew that I had to go back to school... again! I am so happy with the path I've taken to get here and would not change any of the moves I have made. 

I want to make the graduate experience a pleasant one for all students in any way possible. As graduate students, I believe that it is important to have a representative who serves as a liaison between larger organizations and our smaller student body at the School of Nursing. Because our funding comes from the university, it is important that this budget is appropriated according to the direct needs of our graduate students. In addition to appropriating capital funds, I want to make sure that our students are connected and feel supported as they navigate their graduate careers. 

The GNO has meetings both in person and over Zoom every semester to listen to the needs of our student body. These serve as opportunities for students to voice their concerns, wants and needs to the GNO board of directors. We hope that through open communication, we can facilitate change within the graduate programs.